November 23, 2015

Walkerville High Cafeteria

12:03 P.M.

"It was just me and the beast," Wanda described, kneeling on her cafeteria seat in order to tower above her other friends. Over the years, the group had grown increasingly indifferent to Wanda's tall tales, and she was eager to do what she could to improve their engagement. Perhaps her stories were simply lacking some literal height? "We stood alone at the edge of a cliff, winds raging as we stared each other down. Lightening struck the ground between us, ocean waves pounded below. He took a step. Then another. Then, just as he raised his massive claws above his head, ready to strike me down-"

"Time out, Wanda," DA interrupted, at long last joining the group around the lunch table, a thick pile of papers stacked neatly before her. "I have an announcement."

Wanda stared blankly at the newcomer, her dead, emotionless gaze somehow proving more intimidating than her usual harsh glares. DA ignored the behavior, though, and with her knees quickly growing sore, Wanda had no choice but to concede and take her seat. Still, one of these days, people would regret not respecting her storytelling prowess. She would make sure of it, probably.

DA pat the stack of papers that she'd carried into the cafeteria. "As I'm sure you're all aware, early applications to U-cubed need to be in the mail this Saturday at the latest." DA glanced around the table, reading the blank expressions with ease. "We're all aware of that, right?"

"Er… Maybe?" Wanda furrowed her brow. "Wait, what's 'U-cubed'? Is it something exclusive?"

"Walker University," Carlos explained shortly, as DA resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Those are due this Saturday? Seriously?"

Carlos's questions only further exasperated the blonde. "Yes, Carlos – this Saturday. Just as I told everyone yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, and-"

"Okay, we get it," Keesha cut in, knowing this rant could carry on for a while. "I'm sure we'll all get right on that."

DA raised a brow. "Oh? Just like you all promised to yesterday, and the day before that, and-"

"We'll do it, chill!"

"I know college applications aren't exciting," DA sympathized. "But these are serious deadlines. The real world won't make exceptions for us just because our third-grade teacher was a bit strange."

Tim smirked. "A bit?"

"But we just need to power through this week, okay?" DA began passing around the papers to the group, making no comment of Tim's snide remark. "I even printed out the applications for all of us. All you have to do is fill these pages out. We can even send them off together on Saturday, like a fun group activity!"

Arnold eyed the pages unsurely. "Right… Mail party. Sounds fun."

DA shushed the boy. "Once we're accepted – and we all are plenty qualified for U-cubed – we don't have to make any more college decisions. We can finally focus on senior year, without worrying about applications or your nagging, over-controlling friend," she added with a laugh, hoping to rouse more enthusiasm from the table. Unfortunately, only Wanda looked up from the pages set before her.

"Do people seriously call it U-cubed? I don't think anyone says that."

"People say it, Wanda."

"Huh."

DA rubbed the bridge of her nose, frustrated with her companion's indifference to the topic. "Our entire college experience depends on us finishing these applications. I've done all the research; I've printed the applications – I'm making this as simple as I can. You just need to fill in a few pages. Is that really so hard?"

Keesha pushed her application aside. "We'll do them, DA," she repeated, returning to her lunch. Sensing DA's skepticism, she groaned. "Seriously! Can we just enjoy lunch in peace, now?"

"Now we're talking!" Ralphie happily returned to the meal before him, and one by one, the rest of the table did the same.

Relieved, DA began to unpack her own lunch, glad to know that, soon, she would be able to stop stressing about the college process.

If only the rest of the group felt just as assured…

November 23, 2015

Walkerville High Hallway

12:32 P.M.

"She's treating us like a bunch of morons!" Keesha ranted to Phoebe and Wanda as the three walked together to their lockers. "Maybe we don't need someone looking over our shoulder's all the damn time."

"She means well," Phoebe conceded tensely.

"That doesn't make it okay. Hitler meant well."

Wanda listened to the argument silently, her own thoughts occupied with sorting out the puzzle of U-cubed. She hated to seem stupid before her friends, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out the dumb nickname Walker University apparently held. Why did everyone know about this but her? Was she actually just an idiot?

The application she carried at her side felt much heavier than it had any right to. Why did the school need all this information about her? Would knowing her age, her work history, her GPA or her club involvement really convey her complete value as a person? Was she only a series of number and letters on a piece of paper? Because unlike DA, she didn't always come across great in writing. No, Wanda considered her greatest assets to be her personality and her boobs, and this stupid application didn't leave much room to show off either. All the college would see was that she was an idiot who couldn't even figure out the name of their school; Wanda didn't appreciate being judged so unfairly.

At least her friends seemed just as annoyed about the dumb applications.

"She thinks she knows what best for everyone," Keesha continued fuming as they walked. "Maybe she should figure out when to just back off."

"She just wants to make sure we're all okay-"

"She wants to make sure we're all doing what she wants us too."

"And you don't want to?" Keesha fell quiet, so Phoebe continued to speak. "She wants us to stay together. That's understandable."

Keesha sighed and nodded. "I know. I'm just… Less sure of what I want, I suppose. College is a big deal, and I feel like I'm being rushed into making a decision. I wish there was more time…"

The three fell into a heavy silence, each caught up in their own concerns about the future. College wasn't meant to be easy, but they were only just starting to realize how difficult the process could truly be.

November 25, 2015

Locker Room

5:21 P.M.

Ralphie tossed his discarded football gear into his locker haphazardly, accidentally knocking a stray packet of papers to the floor. With a groan, he picked up the pages – he'd forgotten about ditching the WU application inside the locker the previous day, and wished desperately he could return to his hapless ignorance.

It was probably about time he took a look at the paper, though. Saturday was fast approaching, and he definitely didn't want to give DA any more reason to shout at him. Why was she suddenly so tense all the time?

Ralphie sat down on the small wooden bench running the length of the locker room, skimming the sheets to get a gist of what the application was asking. As the pages rustled, he caught the attention of his locker neighbor, Evans.

Evans glanced at the pages his friends so engulfed in. "What's that?"

"Application for Walker University," Ralphie replied tiredly, tossing the packet to the side. "I'm supposed to get it finished sometime this week."

"Sounds lame. I guess it has to be done, though," Evans conceded, turning his attention back to his own comparatively more organized locker. "You interested in U-cubed?"

Ralphie shrugged weakly. "I guess. They did offer me a good scholarship to play football for them-"

"Do not get me started on athletic scholarships!"

Ralphie pressed his lips together. "I get the feeling I already have…"

"College athletes are worked like professionals because they make so much money for their schools but get none of the profits and only a fraction of the recognition they deserve. Schools would rather turn their students into a sizable paycheck than ensure their getting a worthwhile education! You take up college football, you're going to graduate with no money, little chance of going pro, and probably a degree in Swahili! This is the issue with for profit education – hell, the capitalist mindset in general: people aren't important unless they are of monetary value. You're better than that, Tenelli!"

"Uhh… Thanks?" Ralphie frowned at the application beside him. "Wait… So, I shouldn't go to college, then?"

Evans shook his head. "Nah, dude, do what makes you happy. Just don't take the scholarship. I already rejected one – I've got my sights set on a school out east anyway."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Uh-huh." Evans grinned. "I met this chick when I was protesting in D.C. – pretty sure if go to her school, I can hit that. As long as she consents, of course."

"Nice." As Evans finished up in the locker room and slammed his locker door shut, Ralphie continued to stare at the application. He hated ruminating on these serious matters and had been happy to simply do as DA ordered, but by the sounds of it, there was a lot more to consider when it came to applying to college. Was he actually going to have to think about this decision?

Ugh… This was going to take some time.

November 26, 2015

Arnold's Bedroom

6:48 P.M.

"2 more days until applications are due – good luck!"

Carlos read the brief text message on his phone and grimaced. "Shit, I completely forgot about those applications."

Tim snorted at the exclamation. "I don't see how – DA's been hounding you guys about them all week." He lay back on Arnold's bed, feeling grateful that he was already settled on his plans to take a gap year; he had been exempt from DA's badgering over the past few days and honestly, he had never felt more relaxed.

Unfortunately, Arnold and Carlos didn't have the same privilege. "She's stressing me out," Arnold confessed, flipping through his own application sitting on the desk before him. "I haven't been able to think about anything but the application."

"Lucky you," Carlos retorted glumly. "You must be almost done by now. You've really been applying yourself, huh?"

"Hardly." Arnold ignored the pun, much to Carlos's disappointment, and instead turned back to the first page of the packet. Much like Carlos's, the entire page remained blank. "I know DA said she did all the necessary research, but I would really prefer to look into colleges for myself. I need more time to compare all of my options."

Tim raised a brow. "How does DA feel about that?"

"I haven't told her."

"That should go well."

Arnold rolled his eyes at the thought. "There's no point in upsetting her more than she already is – I mean, I might decide I want to go to Walker U after I finish researching, anyway. Besides… She scares me."

Tim frowned. "I want to laugh, but… Honestly, that's fair enough. DA's intense."

"Cute though." Tim and Arnold stared at Carlos with deadpan expressions, and Carlos's face turned bright red. "I mean… Yeah, scary."

Arnold looked back to Tim. "Anyway… My dad's been wanting me to take a closer look at Stanford; that's where he went, and apparently, he still has some influence on the Alumni committee. So, I don't know if it's better to hold off on applying anywhere until I'm more decided, or to just fill out this dumb application and get it over with."

Tim gave Arnold a knowing look. "It sounds like you already know which choice makes more sense."

"Maybe… But I don't want to cause any dramatics."

Carlos nodded along. "Sure, that's fair. And hey, if you hold off on applying, I won't look so bad for procrastinating this long."

"I can't say that's my biggest concern," Arnold replied. "But I'll keep it in mind."

"That's all I ask."

November 28, 2015

Street

12:36 P.M.

As Keesha and Ralphie, the last of her friends to arrive, walked up to the mailbox where the gang arranged to meet at 12:30, DA beamed and turned to face the rest of the group. "I know it's been a long week," she commented cheerily, acknowledging the tired eyes that stared back at her, "but it wasn't that bad, right? And once we mail off these envelopes, we don't have to worry about college for the rest of the year."

Only a few grunts responded, and DA's shoulders fell. She sighed. "Look, I know I've been a pain the last few days-"

"Days?"

DA glared at Wanda before continuing. "-but I just want to make sure that the transition to college goes smoothly. And, not that I don't trust you all, but if I hadn't kept reminding you, what are the odds that we'd all have our applications filled in and mailed off on time?"

"That's a fair point," Carlos conceded, recalling how quick he himself had been to forget about the form. DA's concerns certainly weren't irrational, that much was for sure.

"True…" Phoebe murmured, her eyes darting to the sidewalk beneath her. "I mean, even with the reminders, I still didn't fill mine in."

Every trace of DA's cheerful demeanor vanished in an instant. "I'm sorry?"

Now that all eyes were on her, Phoebe felt her face growing red. She took a deep breath. "I wanted to say something sooner, but you seemed so stressed…" she stuck her hands in her jacket pockets stiffly, as though trying to hide from the girl's intense gaze. "I don't know what I want to be doing this time next year. And I… I don't think I can promise to spend so much on a college that I'm not sure I want to attend. I know how much you want us to be together – I love you all, too – but I'm just not ready to commit to Walker University."

Though DA seemed awestruck at the unexpected confession, Keesha found her friend's words resonated with her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two envelopes. "Yeah, I filled in the WU application and all, but… Honestly, it's not my first choice." She removed the second envelope and held it at the mouth of the mailbox. "I think I'm applying to NYU. I know you weren't a fan, Ralphie, but I loved it. And with my aunt right there…" She smiled softly and, after another moment of thought, dropped the envelope into the mailbox.

The action caught Ralphie off-guard, and suddenly he himself was questioning his own application. He glanced at the letter in his hand. "I was gonna send this off, but if we're allowed to not do that, I should probably talk to Evans about all this. He's smarter than me about this serious stuff. Besides, I totally just guessed on the finance stuff, so this application's probably no good."

Alarmed at the sudden shift in event, DA turned to Arnold, her more rational friend, for support. To her dismay, Arnold furrowed his brow before saying solemnly, "I don't feel ready to apply anywhere either, really. I was going to go along if everyone else were on board, but…" He offered a sympathetic look to DA. "Sorry, I know that's not what you wanted to hear."

Absently, DA nodded, unable to process what her friends were telling her. Wanda leaned in towards the blonde. "Uh, do you need an excuse from me, too? I don't have anything prepared, but-"

"That's okay, Wanda," DA interrupted tersely. She turned away from the group, not sure how to respond.

One by one, the other friends said their goodbyes and walked away; DA clearly needed some time, and was probably in no mood to talk with them anyway. It was the right decision – Dorothy Ann was suddenly feeling incredibly overwhelmed, and desperately needed some time to think through what just happened.

Once she was alone, DA turned to leave only to find herself face to face with Carlos. The boy offered a weak grin and held up his own envelope. "If you're still interested in Walker University, we can still mail our applications today."

Sadly, DA shook her head. "You don't have to apply if you don't want to. I shouldn't have tried to push the others into this…" She turned her face away, feeling tears starting to well up in her eyes. "I just wanted to know we would all still be together. I can't remember the last time I was completely on my own."

"I know I'm no replacement for everyone else – I can never be another Wanda, you know?" Carlos laughed at the notion, and even DA cracked a grin. "But… I can promise that you don't have to be alone. Even if no one else is there, you and me – we can walk into that school and show our classmate's who's the boss. It's you, by the way, if that wasn't clear."

DA wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "You really want to? I'm not just guilting you into this?"

"No way! Walker U. will be awesome as long as you're there. And hey, I never had any hesitations about applying." He looked back at the envelope. "I was honestly just too lazy to get this done sooner. Which, in retrospect, is probably why its best that I stick with you."

Feeling reassured, DA fished her own application out of her purse and held the envelope at the mailbox's mouth. Carlos did the same with his envelope. "On 3?"

"On 3."

"1…"

"2…"

"3!" Simultaneously, both Carlos and DA dropped their applications into the mailbox and watched their envelopes flutter to the bottom of the container.